Art of Resistance
May 3rd to May 17th, open from 2 PM - 11 PM
The Alley Gallery, 1638 E. Georgia St. (enter by the alley)

The backlash of dominant culture! Art in its very nature is highly politicized, and often overlooked, ignored, or criminalized. Clandestine art is a cry of defiant in the face of state control.

Culture is the life blood of politcal struggle, worldwide. Working class art is a direct reflection of the world we live in. Mayworks presents two weeks of showcasing local underground art.

Creative expression, fighting oppression!

Some of the profiled artists showing are:

Tania Willard:
is a member of the Secwepemc Nation and the current editor of Redwire magazine, a publication of Redwire Youth Media. Tania is also an artist, her work has appeared in many publications and posters.

Jamie Abugov:
The capitalist monoculture creates a hypnotic illusion of a totally linear 3-dimensional realm. It devalues and attacks expressions or actions which threaten the integrity of this facade. I produce art as a means of exploring and communicating psychological and spiritual states that transcend the current oppressive paradigm.

Danny Kotyshin:
I am a Vancouver visual artist who sees the real intent of Gordon Campbell and his corporate backers and the erosion of our democratic rights. The collages are a reaction to the campaign of 2001. They are taken and re-arranged from the very bias Sun and Province to re-create what the actual truth behind the campaign and the lies that were being labeled as "fear mongering" by Campbell and co.

Kyd Campbell:
Kyd Campbell is a visual artist has studied textiles. Her work deals with people. Sometimes the images are actual experiences or real occurrances. Other times they are contrived. Recently she has moved from a rural area to the city. Perhaps this is the reason that her most current works seem to deal with the extremes of human behaviour. A fascination of the ways in which people act and react has inspired a series of public installations which are both serious experiments and humourous boredom killers. Her interest in film and probably a general lack of funds has caused her to collect old cameras of all kinds and begin to experiment with nearly obsolete media formats.

Daniel Fischer:
My own art forms are searching for a way to express the beauty and awe I feel about the city construct we have created. This construct has a life of its own and the long run will out live us all. The city is alive and though chaotic it is always growing.

My art technique is mostly self taught. In the last four years it has been influenced by grafitti, hip hop and non hip hop alike. Grafitti has shown me how to free up colours and use words to express emotions in a very advertisement like way. Some argue that advertisement style art isn't art at all.

I think it is the perfect way to communicate to the everyday person. The beauty of hi-jacking this style is that it doesn't need to sell anything. As far as the disciples of fine art go, I think they should be more flexible about all the many forms of art. A friend of mine said to me, "Art for the people should be fast, cheap and out of control." This statement fits with what I try to acheive in my paintings.

Women's Work
Beginning Friday, May 3, and closing Thursday, May 30
Opening: Saturday, May 4 from 7 - 9 PM
The Libra Room, 1608 Commercial Drive
Refreshments will be served - no host bar

A group show by local artists in collage/mixed media on the theme of the work that women do, whether for pay or for love. Twenty artists, students and former students of Famous Empty Sky tackle the central concept in a wild variety of ways, producing evocative and provocative pieces of art to get the viewer thinking and talking! For more information, you can call Pat Davitt at (604) 253-1885.

B.C.G.E.U Local FightBack Banner Challenge!

Banner Theme:
Fight back! ...protect our jobs, our communities, and public services. Keep our communities healthy... You decide your local fight back slogan.

Prizes:
Finalist certificate awards, public display, photos in the provincial newspaper and on the BCGEU website, bragging rights… and, your design may be so popular that everyone will want a copy it for mass reproduction!

Mayworks Festival Display:
Banner entries will be exhibited publicly at the May Day Cabaret, at the WISE Hall and other events during the month of May in Vancouver as part of the 14th Annual Mayworks Festival.

BCGEU Convention Display:
Large photos of all banner entries, and the winning banners will be displayed at the BCGEU 45th Triennial Constitutional Convention May 31 - June 2, 2002 at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver.

Entry Details:

• Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, originality, humor and the budget-conscious use of materials.
• Your banner design can be submitted in any size or shape and in any format.
• Paint it, sew it, glue it, draw on it with markers - use whatever creative materials you want to work with.
• Your banner must feature the number of your Local, and the BCGEU name and logo.

Deadline: submissions must be received by April 29, 2002
Contact: Teresa Marshall (604) 291-9611